Part of the series of learning through games activities. Print off the snooker table and laminate. Prepare 21 differentiated questions from grades E to A* on a topic to correspond to each ball. These questions can be compiled over a sequence of lessons from the content covered. In small groups students compete with each other to accumulate the highest score by potting (answering) the balls (questions) using the rules of snooker. The person at the end of the game with the highest score is the winner. This activity requires tactics as choosing as the higher coloured balls requires a harder questions to be answered correctly, so students may opt to choose the lowering scoring balls to extend their go and maximse their score The game also enhances mathematics skills by the students having to use mental arithmetic to add up their score.

Simple and effective revision task which I as use as part of a circus of activities at the end of a topic where students work in small groups competing against each other.

Before the lesson prepare 49 questions on separate pieces of paper (numbered) along with the answer, one for each square on the board. I usually get the students to prepare these during the preceding lessons as an exit task.

In small groups students roll the dice and move forward the number of places shown. In order to stay on this square they have to answer the corresponding question correctly, if they don't they move back to where they came from. The only exception to this is if you land on a snakes head, as this will automatically move them downwards without the need for a question.

The usual snakes and ladders rules apply, land on a ladder, move upwards, land on a snakes head move down.

Used as a plenary activity to enhance team woking skills and assess students knowledge and understanding. Each group (4-5 students) were given some Post-It notes and asked to write down at least seven questions from the work covered in the lesson along with the answers on the back. All the Post-It notes were then collected in from each group and shuffled. A quiz master was selected to read out the questions along with a scorer who together would run the activity.

One member of each group was then nominated to compete in a quick-fire question round against other groups at the front of the class. The first person to hit the buzzer and answer the question correctly gained two points, an incorrect answer looses 1 point. After 7 questions the "contestant" was changed so all members of the group were involved.

This exercise proved to be really effective and the students became hugely competitive insisting that comprehensive explanations to the answers had to be given in order to gain the points. The students soon realised that making the questions as difficult as possible meant that their team could answer the question as the wrote it, but other groups may not be able to.

All the buzzers make different sounds which I bought the from an internet auction site. A range are available from farm animal sounds to ones which light up. The minimum needed is 5 as it enables more smaller groups to be formed so all students get to be the contestant.

Author

Paul is Head of Science in a secondary school in the South West of England, and a Fellow of the College of Teachers, with an interest in developing new and innovative learning and teaching strategies to enable students to achieve their potential.